Sitting in the piazza in Pietrasanta you may notice something a bit different. First, there are many non-Italians even though this little town is in the heart of Tuscany. And second, those Internationals are often all covered in dust … marble dust.

The marble excavated from the Apuan Alps is the reason for their being here. Pietrasanta, like all of Italy, is steeped in history, folklore and tradition; but here, the tradition of stone carving dominates. Artists travel from all across the globe to carve the beautiful white stone from the nearby marble quarries, the very same Michelangelo used for his David, which stands an hour away in the city of Florence.

The long tradition of stone carving has lead to a more recent tradition of art exhibitions, with some of the biggest names in art showing (and living) in Pietrasanta. A small town surrounded by chestnut forests, medieval architecture … and a few hundred dusty artists.